Postcrossing Blog

I saw this call for postcards on the Letter Writters Alliance blog and couldn’t resist re-posting it here.

Smarter Every Day is a Youtube channel that explains interesting science bits. It’s run by Destin, a father who is really excited about science… and high-speed cameras! The videos are contagiously enthusiastic – the one about the mystery of Prince Rupert’s drop is a favourite around here!

So in this video about teaching his kids how to skip stones, Destin asks for help getting postcards to cover the walls of a room in his house. I think we can give him a hand… if there’s one thing postcrossers are good at, it’s sending postcards! :)

So if you have an extra postcard, please send it to:

Destin’s Wall Project (or something funny)
Smarter Every Day
PO Box 63
Hartselle AL 35640
USA

He doesn’t ask for a specific message, but you could always mention your favourite science bit, ask a question, or say that you come from Postcrossing! :)

We’re looking forward to see how that room turns out!

Postcards are inherently fun. Buying them, sending them, receiving them, and collecting them are all happy events in their lifecycle. But what if you could add another step to the whole process? Like interacting with them! Here are several types of puzzle and game postcards that make receiving one in the mail twice the fun!

Build your own…

How would you like to have your own little desktop version of a car, a famous building or animal? The possibilities are endless! Check out this amazing Flickr gallery for some examples.

Crosswords

An internationally beloved hobby, solving crossword puzzles is a stimulating way to pass the time. Postcard puzzles have been around for awhile, although modern day versions can be tricky to find…

If you have some time though, you can always try to make your own, and test the recipient’s knowledge of your country or city with a fun challenge! :)

Find the…

There is a special category of cards, in which you have to find a specific object or character… Some examples are the “Where’s Waldo (or Wally)?” set, or Lali cards! They’re fun and challenging… and definitely not just for kids!

Cutout models

A great way to send a greeting to someone who loves flags is by sending them a flag-shaped postcard!

Likewise, there are cutout model postcards for almost all modes of transportation, food, sculptures, animals, everyday objects, toys, not to mention famous global landmarks or gotochi cards!

Jigsaws

The first jigsaw puzzle postcards were seen in the early 1900’s. The recipient tore along a perforated edge of the card to remove a jigsaw made from light cardboard. Printed score sheets were included in a pack of six, intended to be used at “Progressive Puzzle Parties” by players who were to record the time it took to complete one puzzle.

Nowadays you can find jigsaw puzzles of all types, even postcards that reveal a message under the pieces of the puzzle!

Do you know of any other types of interactive postcards? Do share in the comments!

Meet egni (aka Inge) who lives near Lake Zurich, in Switzerland! Over the years, she has amassed a very impressive collection of cat-themed postcards – especially on the Puss in Boots theme, for which she has a special soft spot!

Here is what she had to say:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I really don’t know exactly. But I think I found a magazine while travelling by train and read about Postcrossing. It sounded interesting, so I took the paper home and left it on my desk. Later I drew up some courage and signed up.

I was curious if I could multiply my cat and Puss in Boots postcard collection (which I’ve had for many years) through Postcrossing… I always look at the recent postcards page and indeed – many cat cards are sent through Postcrossing!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I enjoy buying and selling on flea markets.

I collect all about Puss in Boots: Books, figures, stamps, drawings, ExLibris … and additionally, I have a collection of cat figures made of various materials from small to large. Unfortunately I had to stop buying new parts – there is no more place in our home!

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

Yes! Guernsey and Alderney and Saint Pierre & Miquelon are places I heard about first when I got the addresses to write to the users. And when I received a postcard from the Fiji Islands I was very surprised, plus it was a cat card!

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

All these pretty cards arrived at the same day. My postwoman Anke has as much fun as I.

I save my cards in an old commode from my father-in-law. My cat Beauty is controlling my work.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

That’s very hard to do. There are lots of pretty, interesting or curious cards I received. To introduce them to more people, every week one this cards is choosen as 'card of the week’ and shown on the first site of my little homepage www.sammelchatz.ch. From this site, there are many links to my collections presented in different Picasa albums.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

Oh yes! At first my brother was infected and later a friend of mine, who collects hedgehogs and Santa Claus. After our Regional Daily, Zürichsee Zeitung, published a story about me and Postcrossing, some more people signed up.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

In short: Anything!

It’s fascinating asking for a new address and then study the profile. Great joy to find a suitable card, and then writing more or less in detail to a strange person. And the best part of this process is to read in the Hurray-Mail, that my card pleased the recipient or made his day. And if cards are favorited by other users, it’s a great satisfaction as well.

At last – the thrill of opening the mailbox every day and finding pretty cards from all around the world!

Do you ever idly browse the internet looking for stationery? I know I do… a lot! On one of these research sessions, I ended up in MissiveMaven’s lovely Etsy shop, filled with vintage-inspired paper goods… I was instantly hooked!

Ilona (aka Missivemaven) has been running her shop since January 2011. She uses very old photos or designs that are in the public domain, giving them new life in the form of postcards, notecards and stickers. We were curious about the process and inspiration behind her stationery, and decided to interview her for the blog!

How did you get started doing stationery design?

I have been addicted to stationery since I was a small child. Letter-writing has always been a part of my life, pretty much since I learned how to hold a pencil, and friends and family were great about encouraging that pursuit by giving me gifts of stationery. (Also, my mother forced me to write thank-you notes – an excellent habit to foster!) So, being a stationery addict, I’m always on the lookout for fun items. After I started my letter-writing blog, MissiveMaven.com, in 2008, my list of pen pals and postcard correspondents went through the roof… so I had an excuse (sort of?) to collect even more stationery to further my postal pursuits. I often searched for letter-writing and mail-related postcards on Etsy. I had an idea of what I wanted in my head, and was disappointed when I couldn’t find it… and then I thought, why not design it myself?

Where do you find your inspiration?

I am very inspired by all the mail I receive, and all my wonderful pen pals. I’m also really into “modernized” vintage graphics, so the vintage graphics themselves are a source of inspiration, too.

What is your favourite item in your shop (and why)?

Oh dear. I find that question so hard to answer, because how can I pick just one? If I must pick, I am very fond of the Classic American Postman design, which I offer in postcards, notecards, and sticker seals. With his arms brimming full of packages and letters, he looks so cheery, and his posture of holding out a letter to you seems so full of hope. (Can you tell what a postal mail addict I am?)

If you could define your style in 3 words, what would they be?

Classic, epistolary, nostalgic.

Are you a letter/postcard writer yourself?

Voraciously so. It is my greatest, favorite hobby. I’ve been Postcrossing for more than 7 years, I’m a proud member of the Letter Writers Alliance and I write hundreds of letters and postcards each year to friends, family, and pen pals.

Can you show us a picture of your studio or workspace?

Thank you Ilona!

You can find Ilona’s postcards, greeting cards and other products at missivemaven.etsy.com. Don’t forget to check out Missive Maven’s blog as well ! :)

In theory, we all know what happens when something goes through the mail: it is picked up, put in crates and boxes, gets sorted more or less automatically, and is finally delivered by the hands of the local mail carrier. If you’ve ever seen a mail sorting center before, you know that there are hundreds of meters of conveyor belts involved, and all sorts of complicated sorting machines… but what does it look like from a “parcel’s perspective”? How many people touch it? How long does it sit around just… waiting?

Designer Ruben van der Vleuten wondered about these things, and instead of sitting still, he came up with a simple solution to solve this mistery: a camera, hidden inside a parcel!

Inside the parcel there’s also a small Arduino circuit, with a timer which tells the camera to film more when the package is moving, and less when it is stopped. The result is the amazing video below:

Pretty neat, huh? Check out Ruben’s page, to see what the parcel looked like from the inside! :)